How to Reach Customer Support via Chat or Phone

Question

After my Outlook email account was hacked I navigated through customer support to the chat function and received a phone call.

I downloaded Microsoft Quick Assist but the screen share function would not activate. The rep was unable to go any further but said he would call back. It's been 30 hours and I can't get back to the chat option. When I phone customer support and say, "my email was hacked," the response is "we cannot help you must use online support." I go through the troubleshooting steps (none of which restore the lost email functions) and am directed to online help which resumes the proceeding steps.

I cannot receive but can send. Also, the sent message file is empty,

Two questions:

1. What are the steps to get back to the chat function which allowed me to reach a person. Or, can I use my case number to reach someone?
2. Can I temporarily close the account? When I follow he instructions the "More Security Options" and "Close your account," are not present.

My iMAC is using Monterey 12.7.6

Answer 1

Hello Gerry Love

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Q&A forum

To answer your 2 questions:

For the first question, case numbers cannot be used to reach an agent by phone or email

Here is how you can get back to contact with support chat:

1. Open a website link - Contact - Microsoft Support 
2. In the box below "We're here to help", type Microsoft 365, click "Get Help", and then click "Contact Support" below. 
3. In this section, you will need to sign in to your Microsoft account. 
4. Select "Microsoft 365 and Office" under Products & Services, select "Technical Support" as the category, and click to confirm 
5. You can select " Chat with a support agent in your web browser " to access the chat window. 

About your second question, Microsoft hides account‑closure and security‑management options when an account is flagged as compromised or mid‑recovery, specifically:

• You must be fully signed in
• You must pass security verification
• You cannot close an account if security info was recently changed (mandatory waiting period)

you can refer to this site for more info on closing your account:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/how-to-close-your-microsoft-account-c1b2d13f-4de6-6e1b-4a31-d9d668849979

Because your account is hacked and you lost access to it, you can ask Microsoft support chat to help you with closing the account temporary to prevent potential damage the hacker could cause.

Answer 2

Please repost the link to speaking with a person